This bill is a procedural message from the Governor to the Legislature informing them that he signed Act 149 into law on July 1, 2024. The act itself amends state statutes to clarify how salaries are set for key education and government officials, specifically allowing the Board of Education to condition part of the superintendent of education's salary on performance. It also reinstates a previous law regarding the salary of the University of Hawaii president and confirms that other department heads' salaries will be determined by the executive salary commission. Additionally, the bill includes a provision to repeal an earlier act that had set a specific end date for these salary arrangements, ensuring the new salary rules remain in effect.
This bill directs the Hawaii Labor Relations Board to create specific rules for evaluating requests to form new collective bargaining units for public employees. Under the new process, employees or their representatives must petition the board to prove that a new unit is appropriate based on factors like shared duties, working conditions, and the impact on government efficiency. The legislation also explicitly prohibits creating any single bargaining unit that includes both professional and non-professional employees. To support this new administrative function, the bill appropriates $95,000 to hire one full-time staff attorney for the board.
This bill establishes the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children program in Hawaii to provide financial assistance for summer meals to eligible children. The legislation directs the Department of Education and the Department of Human Services to collaborate with federal agencies to maximize participation in this federal initiative. State funds totaling approximately $2.1 million are allocated to support program operations, staff hiring, and system updates, with the requirement that all state spending be matched dollar-for-dollar by federal funds.
This bill directs the newly created Department of Law Enforcement in Hawaii to pursue full accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., expanding the requirement to cover all divisions within the department rather than just the sheriff division. To support this goal, the legislation establishes new coordinator positions within the department that are exempt from standard civil service rules to ensure the agency maintains high standards and meets accreditation criteria. The law also reinforces the mandate that all officers trained at the department's statewide training center must adhere to the standards set by the state's law enforcement standards board.
This message from the Governor informs the Hawaii Legislature that House Bill 2480 was signed into law on July 1, 2024. The new law establishes a special fund to manage fees and expenses for issuing document certifications, specifically for apostilles used in Hague Treaty countries and non-apostille certifications for other nations. It authorizes the Lieutenant Governor's office to set fees for these services and use the collected funds for operational costs like supplies and postage. The legislation also includes an initial $12,000 appropriation to support these administrative functions for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
This bill informs the Hawaii Legislature that Governor Josh Green signed Act 151 into law on July 1, 2024. The legislation amends state statutes to expand the powers of the teacher licensing board, allowing it to manage its own budget, set fees, and conduct research on teacher quality. Additionally, the law creates a new pathway for individuals with an associate's degree or equivalent experience to obtain a career and technical education license. The bill also requires the board to submit regular reports on its operations and efforts to improve teacher standards.
This bill establishes Makahiki Commemoration Day to recognize the traditional Hawaiian season celebrating harvest and the god Lono. It requires the state to calculate the specific date for this observance each year using astronomical data to align with the lunar calendar rather than using a fixed Gregorian date. The legislation explicitly states that this day is not a state holiday, meaning it does not provide for paid time off or closure of government offices. The change updates the Hawaii Revised Statutes to formally acknowledge this cultural event within state law.
This bill, signed into law by the Governor on June 28, 2024, clarifies and strengthens the rules for regulating archaeological activities in Hawaii. It directly affects individuals and companies involved in land development, excavation, or any work that might disturb historic sites, aviation artifacts, or burial grounds. The key provision establishes that it is a violation for anyone to disturb these sites on private or state-owned land without first obtaining written permission from the landowner or approval from the relevant state department. Additionally, the law mandates that anyone who accidentally finds a burial site must stop work immediately and report the discovery, while also requiring strict adherence to approved plans for preserving and monitoring these sites.
This bill is a procedural message from the Governor to the Legislature confirming that Act 127 was signed into law on June 28, 2024. The act itself modifies existing education regulations to exempt the Hawaiian language college laboratory school program at the University of Hawaii at Hilo from certain standards, assessments, and staff requirements until July 1, 2026. This change allows the program to operate under different rules while ensuring that any child care centers associated with the college remain licensed by the Department of Human Services. The bill does not create new programs but rather adjusts compliance timelines for a specific educational initiative.
This bill, known as Act 126, directs the Hawaii Department of Education to hire additional staff to support its Kaiapuni schools, which provide Hawaiian language immersion education. The legislation appropriates $3,544,683 for the 2024-2025 fiscal year to fund three curriculum specialist positions and ten classroom teacher positions. These new roles are intended to help manage the growing number of students enrolled in these programs and ensure they receive proper instructional support. The funding is distributed between the state level for strategic oversight and individual school sites for daily classroom instruction. The changes take effect on July 1, 2024.
This message from the Governor informs the Legislature that Act 122, which modifies how vital records are accessed, was signed into law on June 28, 2024. The primary change allows the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to request vital records to verify eligibility for native Hawaiian beneficiary programs, provided the registrant or their descendants give permission. To facilitate this, the law requires the Department of Health and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to sign a memorandum of agreement ensuring records are handled appropriately before access is granted.
This bill, signed into law as Act 123, addresses delays in appointing members to Hawaii's five island burial councils by allowing expired terms to continue until a successor is officially named. The legislation amends state statutes to permit current council members to serve as holdovers, ensuring these bodies maintain the necessary quorum to conduct business even during appointment gaps. While the bill does not alter the existing composition or selection criteria for council members, it specifically targets the administrative timeline for reappointments to prevent operational disruptions. The measure applies directly to the five island burial councils responsible for managing burial sites across the state's major islands.
